What are SOPA and PIPA?
SOPA (the "Stop Online Piracy Act") and PIPA (the "Protect
Intellectual Property Act" ) are bills in the U.S. House of
Representatives and the U.S. Senate, respectively. These bills are
presented as efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign
web sites, but in our opinion, they do so in a way that would disrupt
free expression and harm the Internet. Detailed information about these
bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act
articles on Wikipedia (which remained available during the blackout).
GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on this page, and PIPA on this one. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization that advocates for the public interest in the digital realm, has summarized the flaws in these bills, and the threats to an open, secure, and free Internet.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by House Judiciary Committee Chair RepresentativeLamar S. Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill, if made law, would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.[2] Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.[3]
The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites. The bill would make unauthorized streaming
of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in
prison for ten such infringements within six months. The bill also
gives immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against
websites dedicated to infringement, while making liable for damages any
copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is
dedicated to infringement.[4]
Proponents of the bill say it protects the intellectual property
market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue, and is necessary to
bolster enforcement of copyright laws, especially against foreign websites.[5]
They cite examples such as Google's $500 million settlement with the
Department of Justice for its role in a scheme to target U.S. consumers
with ads to illegally import prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.[6]
Opponents say that it violates the First Amendment,[7] is Internet censorship,[8] will cripple the Internet,[9] and will threaten whistle-blowing and other free speech actions.[7][10] Opponents have initiated a number of protest actions, including petition drives, boycotts of companies that support the legislation, and planned service blackouts by English Wikipedia and major Internet companies scheduled to coincide with the next Congressional hearing on the matter.
The House Judiciary Committee held hearings on November 16 and December 15, 2011. The Committee was scheduled to continue debate in January 2012,[11]
but on January 17 Chairman Smith said that "[d]ue to the Republican and
Democratic retreats taking place over the next two weeks, markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act is expected to resume in February."[12]

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